CRESCO INTELLIGENCE · PRICES IN USD
The typical studio sold for $178,900. One in twenty sold for under $110,300. Here is what buyers actually paid, and where.
Short answer: the typical studio apartment in Dubai sold for AED 657,040, about $178,900, this autumn. One in four sold for AED 560,330 ($152,600) or less. The cheapest 5% sold for AED 405,000 ($110,300) or less. Those figures come from 3,695 studio sales on the Dubai Land Department register between September 1 and October 11, 2026.
That is the honest minimum. Brochures quote the lowest unit in the cheapest building. The register shows what buyers actually paid.
No. A foreign buyer can purchase any freehold unit at any price. There is no minimum set by law for buying. The minimums people mention are for visas, not for ownership. A two year property visa and the ten year Golden Visa are tied to property value, and the Golden Visa threshold is AED 2 million. A studio does not get you there on its own. Our Golden Visa guide covers the rules.
| Point in the market | AED | USD |
|---|---|---|
| Cheapest 5% sold at or below | AED 405,000 | $110,300 |
| Cheapest 10% sold at or below | AED 477,042 | $129,900 |
| Cheapest 25% sold at or below | AED 560,330 | $152,600 |
| Median studio | AED 657,040 | $178,900 |
| Median ready studio | AED 550,000 | $149,800 |
| Median off plan studio | AED 685,000 | $186,500 |
The typical studio measured 400 square feet. 474 studios sold for under AED 500,000 (about $136,100) and 1,387 sold for under AED 600,000 (about $163,400).
These are the areas with at least 40 studio sales in the period, ranked by median price. Price follows location. The cheapest studios sit farther from the coast and from the business districts.
| Area (register name) | Sales | Median AED | Median USD | Median size |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| International City Phase 1 | 69 | AED 338,000 | $92,000 | 484 sq ft |
| Dubai Investment Park First | 74 | AED 430,140 | $117,100 | 389 sq ft |
| Dubai South | 65 | AED 500,850 | $136,400 | 384 sq ft |
| Dubai Industrial City | 69 | AED 538,915 | $146,700 | 379 sq ft |
| International City Phases 2 and 3 | 59 | AED 540,628 | $147,200 | 432 sq ft |
| Dubai Sports City | 72 | AED 544,880 | $148,400 | 446 sq ft |
| Dubai Studio City | 43 | AED 554,680 | $151,000 | 347 sq ft |
| Majan | 418 | AED 570,000 | $155,200 | 407 sq ft |
| City of Arabia | 92 | AED 590,000 | $160,700 | 348 sq ft |
| Dubailand Residence Complex | 182 | AED 598,337 | $162,900 | 436 sq ft |
| Dubai Production City | 136 | AED 601,000 | $163,600 | 424 sq ft |
| Downtown Jebel Ali | 70 | AED 603,020 | $164,200 | 354 sq ft |
For comparison, the median studio in Jumeirah Village Circle sold for AED 679,766 and in Business Bay for AED 1.1 million.
79% of studio sales were off plan. Yet the median ready studio sold for AED 550,000 against AED 685,000 off plan. Part of that gap is newer buildings and better finishes. Part of it is the premium for paying over time. We measured that premium across Dubai in off plan vs ready for American buyers.
Add the 4% Dubai Land Department transfer fee, agency commission and registration charges. Then check the yearly service charge, which is set per square foot and can take a real bite out of a small unit's rent. Our real cost of buying and service charges pages give the numbers.
A studio is the cheapest way into Dubai. It is not automatically the best one. Judge it on net rent after service charges and on how easily it will resell, not on the entry price. If your budget is closer to $250,000, compare a studio in a central area with a one bedroom farther out. Our what $500,000 buys page shows the next step up.
There is no legal minimum. In practice the cheapest 5% of studio sales registered between September 1 and October 11, 2026 sold for AED 405,000 ($110,300) or less, and the median studio sold for AED 657,040 ($178,900).
The median studio sold for about $178,900 (AED 657,040) across 3,695 registered sales. One in four sold for $152,600 or less.
Not on its own. The property route to the ten year Golden Visa requires property worth at least AED 2 million, which is well above the price of a typical studio.
On the register, the lowest median studio prices were in International City Phase 1 (AED 338,000), Dubai Investment Park First, Dubai South and Dubai Industrial City.
Source: Dubai Land Department register, sales registered September 1 to October 11, 2026. Sales only, residential flats recorded as studios, excluding records below AED 500 per square foot, which are usually partial or non market transfers. Square meters converted at 10.7639 square feet. Dollars at the fixed rate of AED 3.6725. Medians describe what sold, not the value of any single unit. Golden Visa threshold from UAE government guidance. This is market research, not investment advice.
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Price is only part of what you need in the bank. We worked out the full cash requirement, including the Land Department transfer fee, the service partner fee and the Central Bank deposit caps, in how much money you need to buy property in Dubai.